Langkawi is part of a beautiful island group in Malaysia. You have fine sandy beaches, blue sea and lots of nature here. There are enough fun things to do in Langkawi to spend 3 to 7 days here.
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How to get to Langkawi
Langkawi is located at the most northwestern tip of Malaysia. From Penang or Kuala Lumpur, you can catch a bus to Kuala Kedah. With Easybook, you can see exactly which bus to catch and what time it leaves. You can also easily book your tickets in advance with Easybook. From Kuala Kedah’s bus station, you can drive to the ferry by Grab or cab in 15 minutes. Here you can also immediately buy tickets for the trip to Langkawi. On this site you can see exactly what times the ferry sails. After 1.5 hours at sea, you stand with your feet in the soft sands of Langkawi.
Tip: read all about transportation in Malaysia here.
1. Cenang
Most likely you will be staying in Cenang. This town on Langkawi’s west coast has the most to offer travelers. There is a beautiful white sand beach in Cenang 1.6 kilometers long where you can watch the sunset in the evening. After this, you can have something to eat at one of the many restaurants in Cenang. You have a wide choice of Western, Thai, Chinese, Syrian and Malaysian food here.
In Cenang, you can easily rent a motorbike to visit all the activities. The roads on Langkawi are well maintained and you can easily ride along with the traffic on the motorbike. You rent a 125cc motorbike for 35 RM (€7.50) per day.
Furthermore, you will also find many water activities here. You can jet ski on the water, sit in a banana boat or parasail overlooking the surrounding islands. Everywhere in Cenang you see providers for these activities. The trick here is to haggle properly.
2. Island hopping in Langkawi
From Cenang, you can also do a 4-hour tour that involves island hopping. The first stop is a freshwater lake. This refreshing lake is located in the middle of an island which is surrounded by high cliffs. You get an hour to swim and relax here.
After the freshwater lake, continue to eagle feeding. This is a place at sea where all the tour boats come to feed the eagles with chicken meat. The eagles have become so accustomed to this place that they can always be found around it. We did not want to go to this place because it is not good for the eagles at all. Chicken meat is not in their natural diet so they get sick faster and die. Unfortunately, we had no choice once we were in the boat.
Therefore, we would advise you to check in advance if the eagle feeding is included in the tour and otherwise ask if you can also book a tour without joining the eagle feeding. When more and more people start asking this, hopefully one day they will stop doing this.
After this you sail on to yet another island where you have another hour. On this island you can relax, read a book and enjoy the insane view. During this boat tour, be sure to keep applying sunscreen as you can burn quickly in the tropical sun.
In addition to this island tour, there are many other tours that include stops at beautiful snorkeling spots. It is wise, when in Langkawi, to look into this yourself and compare a few different tours.
3. Viewpoint Gunung Raya
If you have rented a motorbike, drive to the Gunung Raya viewpoint is a great thing to do in Langkawi. From Cenang, it’s about a 45-minute trip on a motorbike. The first 25 minutes you drive on the normal road. After this you turn onto a road that takes you uphill in 12 kilometers. This road is very quiet, you will encounter almost no other vehicles. In contrast, the nature at the edge of this road is beautiful. Behind every corner you will find high cliffs and beautiful views. The drive to the viewpoint is already enjoyable.
When you arrive at the top of the viewpoint, you basically have a beautiful wide view of the valley and the sea. You may find that you see almost nothing because it’s cloudy, just like us. In that case, there is not much to the viewpoint. Fortunately, the road there is really fun to drive so then it’s not so bad.
4. Tanjung rhu Beach
In the north of Langkawi, you will find beautiful sandy beaches. Because most tourists and locals stay in Cenang, you will encounter very few other people here. Langkawi’s finest beach is Tanjung Rhu Beach. At Tanjung Rhu Beach, you can rent a beach bed and umbrella, or lie on your towel on the sand by yourself. If you feel like doing something active, you can also rent a sup or canoe here. It is a lovely beach to spend an afternoon. If you are thirsty there is a fine coffee shop here where they sell the tastiest fresh and chilled coconuts. You drive here in 40 minutes from Cenang.
5. Mangrovetour
Mango tours are offered at Tanjung Rhu Beach. This tour takes 2 hours and you will learn a lot about the mangroves and wildlife. For a private boat, the four of us (after some haggling) paid 200 RM (€45).
During the mangrove tour, you will see many monkeys and eagles in the trees near the river. Unfortunately, the eagles are also fed here. You can also visit the fish farm. Since we were not comfortable with this (fish being farmed and kept in a tiny cage) we chose to cruise past this. Along the way, you will be dropped off at a bat cave where a huge group of bats live. Admission costs 2 RM (€0.50) per person.
After this, you sail through a low cave and come out to a special section of mangrove. Here live fish that can spit. Our guide put a piece of food on the edge of the boat and in no time we saw a hard jet of water spitting up. Normally, fish use this as a weapon when attacked. Extraordinary to witness this.
6. Skull Beach
In the north-west of Langkawi is Skull Beach. Fortunately, there are no skulls on the beach here but it is named after a rock you can see from here. This rock is shaped like a skull. Skull Beach is a very quiet but beautiful beach. You can lie here in both sun and shade. There is no option to eat or drink anything here so be sure to bring plenty of your own.
If you drive a little further west from Skull Beach you will come to a small parking lot. Look here for the Google Maps location. On the other side of the road you will see a sign announcing that you are near a waterfall. You can walk here, it’s a 5-minute walk to the waterfall. The waterfall itself is very high and the water is nice and refreshing. A nice place to take a dip. Do watch your belongings here and don’t leave food lying around outside your bag. There are 2 curious monkeys running around here who like to take things. They show no signs of aggressiveness. They just like to steal your food 🙂
7. Langkawi Sky bridge
The Langkawi Sky Bridge is one of the steepest cable cars in the world. The cable car takes you up to 660 meters altitude. From here you already have an insane view of Langkawi. The best part is that you come up not for this view, but for the bridge that hangs here. The Langkawi Sky Bridge is suspended between two mountain peaks and from here you have an even more stunning view of all of Langkawi.
If you are not afraid of heights, this is a great activity to do during your stay in Langkawi. The price for a standard gondola is 85 RM (€18). The glass-bottomed gondola, for the real dare devils is 105 RM (€23 euros). You can book your tickets for Langkawi Sky Bridge at the cable car or online here.
Best travel time Langkawi
The best travel time for Langkawi is from February to September. During this period it will be mostly dry with nice temperatures. From October to January, pouring rain may be more frequent. Don’t let this stop you from visiting Langkawi because you can have a wonderful stay here all year round.
Best accommodations in Langkawi
Because Langkawi is a true beach destination, there are many different types of accommodations available. For the budget backpacker, Boxpackers is a cozy hostel. It is very central and attached to the hostel is a cozy bar where you can play games and drink with other travelers in the evening.
If you are traveling around Malaysia as a digital nomad or just need a little more space, Chenang’s Guest House is ideal. This is a whole house, with two bedrooms and a cozy living room. It is a 1-minute walk from downtown and it is SO nice to stay here. Nice space and your own kitchen with refrigerator!
If you prefer to stay in a nice resort, Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa comes highly recommended. In this beautiful resort, the bungalows are very large and luxurious. The resort has a large gym, several wellness facilities and you can book various water sports. A slightly cheaper, but still wonderful, option is Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa. This resort has two pools and a private beach. There are many romantic activities such as a dinner on the beach or decorating the room with rose petals.
Continue your journey through Malaysia to the Cameron Highlands or Malacca. From Langkawi, you can also easily cross over to Thailand. By ferry, you can be on Koh Lipe in as little as 1 hour. A lovely quiet island for ultimate enjoyment. Buy your tickets for the Langkawi – Koh Lipe ferry online through this site.
